STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As West Nile season kicks off, city Health Department officials are suggesting people take a number of precautions to avoid getting bitten, or getting West Nile virus.

Here are seven tips provided by Dr. Waheed Bajwa, who heads the health department's office of vector-borne disease surveillance and control, and Assistant Commissioner Mario Merlino, during a recent discussion with the Advance:

Wear protective clothing, such as long pants and long-sleeved shirts, particularly at dusk and dawn.

Eliminate standing water on your property, including containers that can collect standing water. Make sure gutters drain properly, and make sure your swimming pools, outdoor saunas and hot tubs are cleaned and chlorinated. Turn over plastic wading pools and wheelbarrows when not in use.

"If you have standing water that you can't get rid of, there's a product that you can buy which is safe to use called Mosquito Dunk," Merlino advises, noting that people should still seek the aid of a pest professional before self-treating any trouble spots.